Michaelmas:
29th
September
Michaelmas
is the feast
day of St. Michael and All Angels – those beings believed to
protect humankind against evil, which was associated with darkness.
It
is celebrated at the time when darker nights and shorter, colder days
begin, and historically was the time to begin taking measures to
ensure protection during the winter months, such as the tolling of
the curfew bell, when household fires should be covered
(couvre feu) for the night.
But it is also a good time to strengthen
our inner reserves, becoming more meditative and
reflective, facing our fears with courage, recognising what threatens
and prevents our peace, and considering how to be peaceful warriors,
taking a stand for what we hold most dear.
The
short liturgy, below, is appropriate for use by individuals or
groups. If using it in a group, then everyone is invited to join in
saying the responsive words in bold
type.
There may be one leader to say the biddings, or you can take it in
turns. You will need a central candle, enough small candles for each
person present, and matches to light them. Please exercise common
sense when lighting candles, and ensure there is no risk of fire.
The
liturgies, celebrations, ceremonies, prayers, and reflections offered
on this blog are the result of my thoughts, reflections, and
experiences, woven together using my own words and sometimes adapting
the words others have used:
I
am indebted to their wisdom. Please use these liturgies freely,
adapting them as suits your own context. I am always pleased to hear
from people who have used them.
Opening: A
central candle is lit
The
days are shorter, the nights are longer, the air is colder:
We
are coming into the darker time of the year.
Darkness
is not of itself bad:
Light
is not of itself good.
Darkness
and light are both outside us and inside us:
All
things need the balance of dark and light
in
order to become whole.
There
is nothing to fear in the dark:
Darkness
is where hidden seeds lie unfolding,
where
ocean depths teem with unimagined species.
"Gardeners
of the spirit know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, as
without light nothing flowers." [May
Sarton]
Darkness
is where we can rest and sleep and arise refreshed,
where
there are no distractions for our thoughts,
and
where the deeper parts of our selves lie hidden.
A
few moments of quiet reflection are kept...
Michaelmas
Prayer:
We
admit that we have not been agents of goodness and grace:
We
have valued our
own interests
rather
than the interests of others.
One
person lights their individual candle from the central candle
We
admit that we have not sought fullness of life for everyone:
We
have not fought so that others
might
be free, secure, and valued.
A
second person lights their individual candle from the central candle
We
admit our own fears and our lack of vision,
and
we admit that we have not been peace makers:
We
have allowed people in need to be turned away.
We
have sought our own good
rather
than the good of our neighbours.
A
third person lights their individual candle from the central candle
We
admit to our yearnings for victory, rather than for peace,
and
we admit that we have confused the absence of war
for
the presence of peace:
We
have believed that one side must lose
for
the other to win.
And
we have forgotten to love others as we love our selves.
A
fourth person lights their individual candle from the central candle
We
admit that we have drawn a closed and selfish circle around our
selves:
We
have kept peace for our selves, and left others in conflict;
we
have kept safety for ourselves, and left others in danger.
Any
remaining individual candles are now lit from the central candle,
and
a few moments of quiet reflection are kept...
Here
and now, may we forgive our selves and each other:
Here
and now, may we turn around and start anew.
We
release that which has passed, which now holds no power;
We
acknowledge our broken-ness and we claim our strength.
May
we find the strength to seek peace inside and outside:
May
we find that which enables the balance of dark and light
within
and without our selves and others.
A
few moments of quiet reflection are kept...
The
Closing:
Be
strong in love and in the strength of love.
Stand
sure, wearing the belt of truth, the breastplate of grace,
the
shield of hope, and the sword of peace:
Living
one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time,
accepting
hardships as the pathway to wholeness and peace,
and
trusting that all things shall be well. So let it be!
The
candles are now extinguished
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